A pocket tool chest

As highlighted on The Toolchest Site, and bought to my attention by Joel on the Stu’s Shed Facebook page (thanks!)

This is not a Swiss Army knife or Leatherman (the typical pocket toolbox), but instead is a stunning replica of an 18th century gentleman’s tool chest, packed with tools. The whole chest is a massive 2 inches long. It is a 1/12 scale in stunning detail of the Hewitt chest at Colonial Williamsburg, by miniaturist William Robertson.

The tool chest was made with the same construction as the original chest from a timber that looks like the original mahogany when seen in scale. Tool trays and drawers are fully dovetailed with hand-sawn dust boards. The dividers are v-notched and crosslapped and the lid sides are tongue and groove.

Robertson’s tool chest contains all the same tools that were found in the original. All the tools work, even the plane’s tote (handle) is set a scale 1/8″ to one side as the original. The saw has 160 teeth to the inch. The most challenging tool to make was the folding rule with 5 leaf hinge. It is about .030″ thick and hand engraved on boxwood.

Also included in the tool chest are a Kent-style hatchet, claw hammer, a riviting hammer, marking gauge, five gimlets, a smooth plane, backsaw, saw wrest, divider, awl, round file, burnisher, inside/outside calipers, bevel gauge, try square, three turnscrews, four brad awls, an oilstone in its case, three tanged chisels, a mallet and a beak anvil. All the tools are fully functional, with blades made of steel. Other parts are made from brass with handles made of pearwood, boxwood, African blackwood, Bolivian rosewood and maple.

The chest and tools took about 1,000 hours to complete. I have no idea of its value, but if you estimated it as cheap as $50/hr, that is a LOT of toolchest.